The present invention relates generally to hinges, and more particularly to cam and spring actuated hinges for use in combination with a handbag frame that is positioned at the mouth of a bag and permits the bag to securely remain in either a terminal open or closed position.
It is old and well known to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains to provide a snap-action type, hinged frame for use on handbags (handbags is used herein as a generic term which includes purses, pocket books, brief cases, and the like). The prior art handbag frames are generally comprised of two elongated strips of metal hingedly connected, in parallel extending relation, to one another. One of these frames is positioned at the mouth of the handbag, and due to the hinged connection of the frame members, the frame permits selective opening and closing of the handbag.
The hinges employed in the frame construction are typically known as over-center spring hinges. This type of hinge permits the handbag to be manually snapped open or closed, and remain in a fixed, open or closed, terminal position until manually moved to the opposite terminal position. To achieve this goal, the hinges generally include male and female portions, each having a leaf for attaching it to a respective frame member, and a pair of cooperatively positioned eyelets for receiving a pivot pin therethrough. Passage of the pivot pin through the male and female portions' eyelets forms the pivotal, hinged connection between the two portions. In addition to the eyelets, the male portion also includes an elongated spring finger integrally extending from the leaf, while the female portion includes a fixed cam or lug integrally formed at the distal end of the leaf with the lobe of the cam positioned in spring biased relation to the spring finger.
In operation, as the handbag is manually moved from a closed to an open position, the pivotal connection between the male and female hinge portions effect a sliding movement of the cam along the length of the spring finger which, in turn, results in the spring finger yielding to the pressure applied thereto by the lobe of the cam. Once the lobe of the cam extends more than midway along the length of the spring finger, the resilient nature of the spring causes the hinge to snap open to its terminal, open position. If the bag's user stopped the opening motion prior to the cam reaching the midpoint of the spring finger's length, the hinge would simply snap shut. In any event, it is the positional (angular) relationship between the cam and spring finger (in other words, the angular relationship between the two hinge portions) which cause the frame, and hence the handbag, to snap to either a terminal open or closed position. Examples of such hinges are exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,145,748 to Leonardi; 2,903,033 to Robinson; 2,158,955 to Blacher; and 2,578,612 to Stregack, among others.
Although the hinges employed in the prior art handbag frames work well, they do suffer the drawback of having a limited life cycle. Due to the constant opening and closing of a handbag, the hinges are constantly being moved between their terminal positions. Each time the bag is opened or closed, the lobe of the cam slides along the length of the spring finger, eventually resulting in the spring and lobe becoming worn, and possibly fractured, due to the constant friction between the two. The wear eventually results in the lobe yielding insufficient pressure on the spring to permit effective operation of the hinge, and hence, the bag.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an over-center spring hinge, for use in combination with a handbag frame, that has improved durability and thus, a longer life cycle.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an improved hinged frame for a handbag that makes the bag easier to snap open or close than bags utilizing prior art hinges.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hinged frame for a handbag that is inexpensive to manufacture.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a hinged frame for a handbag that is easy to implement with a handbag.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will in part be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.